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The Carletonian

The Carletonian

The Carletonian

FROLF: an anthropological examination

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As the weather warms the students again emerge from their winter dens and habitats to traverse the plains. Accompanying this great migration comes a game habitual of these intriguing college folk. I have been told it is called the “Frolf ”. The explanation of this game is complex and confusing to many not from the culture, but after observing it many times I have brought our avid readers as good an explanation as I could construct.

To begin my explanation I must explain that the main prop of the game or ritual appears to be a circular disc made of what I can only guess to be some type of plastic. The discs can vary in cleanliness and design, but many tend to be white and emblazoned with the emblem of the year of graduation of the player in possession of said disc. It appears that the game is played with as many or as few of these discs as one requires although the rules that govern this are unclear. It is a roughly one to one player to disc ratio although this may change throughout the game as discs are thrown into bodies of water or other ritually significant and sacrificial places.

The object of the game is complex and after many hours of observation seems to have a dual point system based on where each players disc travels. One set of points is derived from just barely avoiding pedestrians uninvolved in the ritual, and the other set comes from attempting to whack the disc into some stationary object through a throwing motion.

The target objects appeared, to this keen reporter, to be random, but I must assume that each choice is motivated specifically and thoughtfully by a deep understanding of the rich history, culture and tradition of the flinging ceremony.

Yelling is a bizarre aspect of the game and appears to happen at any time for any reason and following any outcome. The yelling does not directly correlate with hitting or missing the assumed target object which led this intrepid observer to question whether these objects are targets at all or whether the game is perhaps a calming study in the futility of life. Although the way the students wander in this packs, letting out cries and running from place to place, carefully sending out their plastic-disc-offerings to the rivers and the roofs does evoke a carefree attitude and distinct youthfulness.

I feel sad to soon be departing from this earnest and intriguing group, and I am sorry to have to take a break from my observational studies, but the summer months approach quickly and I find myself drawn home. I must find an escape away from this humidity.

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